Machine for harvesting beets and like tubers



April 11962 c. J. STEKETEE 3,029,877

MACHINE FOR HARVESTING BEETS AND LIKE TUBERS Filed Dec. 29, 1959 mWa zak com/521s J 8751(6'7'65 United States Patent Ofiiice 3,029,877 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 3,029,877 MACHINE FOR HARVESTING BEETS AND LIKE TUBERS Cornelis J. Steketee, Korteweg 11, Driewegen, Netherlands Filed Dec. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 862,643 Claims priority, application Netherlands .lan. 13, 1959 2 Qlaims. (Cl. ll'7158) The invention relates to a machine for harvesting beets and like tubers. The machine is provided with at least one pair of mutually cooperating circular sets of rodshaped lifting elements, which circular sets of elements rotate about a shaft extending transversely to the direction of travel of the machine. The elements are arranged in such a manner that the summit of the acute angle enclosed by the elements in their lowermost position with the central longitudinal plane of the machine is directed forwards. Each rod-shaped lifting element of one set is followed in the direction of rotation of the sets by a rod-shaped lifting element of the other set.

With a machine of this kind a rod-shaped element of the one set and a rod-shaped element of the other set alternately press on the one side and the other side against the beet, so that the beet will be shaken and thereby be freed from the surrounding earth in order to be lifted and thrown backwards. It appeared that beets subjected to only small resistance in the ground will laterally escape under the influence of the transverse forces exerted by the lifting elements, so that they are not thrown backwards but remain on the ground. 7

The invention has for its object to remove said drawback and to this end a resilient rod-shaped element is provided in each circular set of rod-shaped lifting elements opposite each of the lifting elements of the other circular set. Each lifting element now cooperates with a resilient element adapted to yield laterally, but to arrest the beet so that same is clamped to a certain extent between the lifting element and said resilient element.

The invention will further be described with reference to the accompanying drawing showing an embodiment of the machine according to the invention.

In the drawing FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical side view of a part of both circular sets of lifting elements with parts of the discs removed.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the sets of lifting elements taken on line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the machine on a smaller scale.

The shaft of the discs 5 each carry a rod-like or bladelike lifting elements 2 and 3 respectively by means of radial arms 1 which comprise the parts of two sections 4a and 4b enclosing with each other an angle having its summit directed upwards. Said shaft sections 4a and 4b are supported in brackets 14a and 14b respectively, said brackets forming part of a frame 9 and to each of said sections a bevel gear 10a and 10b respectively, is secured and said gears mesh with each other. The gear 10b is driven by a conical pinion '12 secured to a driving shaft 11 in such a manner that the discs 5 are rotated in the direction as indicated by the arrow b in FIG. 1 when the machine travels in the direction of the arrow a.

Elements 6 bent'of spring steel are secured to the arms 1 of the blade-like lifting elements 2 of a circular set by means of clamping plates 8 opposite each lifting element 3 of the other circular set.

In similar manner a spring element 7 is secured to the arm 1 of each lifting element 3 opposite each lifting element 2 of the other circular set. When a lifting element 2 strikes a beet said beet is laterally arrested by the spring element 7 so that the beet is not struck away, but is clamped between the elements 2 and 7.

When the machine which has ground wheels 13 is travelling in the direction of the arrow a and the sets of lifting elements 2 and 3 are rotating in the direction of the arrow b the beets are lifted out of the ground and thrown backwards on a conveyor 14.

It is to be noted that the arms 1 of the lifting elements 2, 3 may also be resilient to a certain extent but said element are always much stiffer than the elements 6 and 7.

What I claim is:

l. A machine for harvesting beets or the like com prising'a mobile frame, a pair of generally laterally outwardly and downwardly extending shafts, driving means for said shafts, a wheel connected to each shaft, a set of circumferentially spaced, rod-shaped lifting elements supported on each wheel, said lifting elements being inclined outwardly and forwardly with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane of said frame, the sets of lifting elements being mounted in staggered relation to each other, so that a rod-shaped lifting element of the one set is followed in the direction of rotation of the sets by a rodshaped lifting element of the other set, and a set of resilient elements provided on each wheel, each resilient element being opposite one of said lifting elements on the other wheel but spaced therefrom more than the diameter of a beet for at least a portion of the length of the opposite lifting element, the resiliency of said resilient elements exceeding that of the lifting elements whereby upon striking contact of a lifting element with a beet, the latter is thrown rearwardly clear of the opposite resilient member, softly embedded beets, however, being pushed laterally of the said vertical longitudinal plane to strike the opposite resilient element which yieldingly clamps the beet.

2- A machine according to claim 1 wherein said resilient elements are also rod-shaped and curved along the arc of a circle, each resilient element being secured to the outer side of a lifting element so as to freely extend at the trailing end of a lifting element in an arc toward the next lifting element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,682,739 Bozeman et a1. July 6, 1954 2,773,343 Oppel Dec. 11, 1956 2,973,816 van der Lely et al Mar. 7, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,163,648 France Apr. 28, 1958 

